Soup Kitchens in America can be traced back to the year 1929 with the effects of the Great Depression. Since then, most communities have maintained their own versions of a soup kitchens; in Elkins we have the Common Ground Café.
After seeing an increase in the number of individuals requesting assistance with food, Pastor Bill Calhoun from Woodford United Methodist Church decided to find a way to help. Pastor Calhoun worked with other community churches in the Elkins area to organize a community based program that provides a home cooked meal to those in need once a week. This would be one part of the food securities solution in Randolph County.
Members of Woodford United Methodist Church, generously volunteer their time to help organize the weekly meal distribution to the community. They allow the use of their social hall for community organizations and churches to come in and cook a meal every Saturday for about 100 local community individuals. Their facility is centrally located and has a fully equipped kitchen, with plenty of prep space and a commercial grade oven and stove. On September 16th, volunteers from St. Brendan’s and St. Patrick’s parish along with CCWVa Elkins’s staff served over 80 individuals a meal and dessert.
As Christians, we are to feed the poor and help people who are in need. Feeding the needy is part of serving one another and as we serve others we are serving Christ.
We all need to eat, so this is everyone’s common ground.
